A SURVEY ON THE ROLE OF SCHOOL FEEDING AND RUTF-BASED INTERVENTIONS IN COMBATING CHILD MALNUTRITION IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Background: Child malnutrition remains one of Pakistan's most persistent public health and development challenges. According to the National Nutrition Survey 2018, 40.2% of children under five are stunted, 17.7% are wasted, and 28.9% are underweight, while more than half suffer from micronutrient deficiencies such as anaemia.

Objectives: This survey synthesises evidence published between 2020 and 2025 on two complementary interventions — school feeding programmes and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) — assessing their effectiveness, their implementation challenges, and the potential of data-driven approaches to strengthen delivery in Pakistan.

Methodology: A qualitative systematic literature review guided by PRISMA 2020 reporting principles was adopted. PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, together with the institutional repositories of WFP, UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank, and the Government of Pakistan, were searched. Eleven core sources satisfying predefined inclusion criteria were retained, appraised for quality, and analysed through thematic coding.

Findings: School feeding improves dietary diversity, micronutrient sufficiency, attendance (increases approaching 20%), retention, and cognitive performance. RUTF achieves recovery rates of 75–90% among children with severe acute malnutrition. However, donor-dependent financing, reliance on imported RUTF, supply-chain fragility, infrastructural gaps, and weak monitoring systems constrain scale and sustainability.

Conclusion: An integrated continuum of preventive school feeding and curative RUTF-based care — supported by local RUTF production, digital monitoring, community engagement, and institutionalised policy financing — offers the most viable pathway for reducing child malnutrition in Pakistan.